Newb needs help with Peerless and Fostex!

[PoorSound]

I built a set of Peerless speakers about 7 years ago so i'm not quite sure of the exact model numbers but here is a picture of them:

http://www.drunkhourphoto.com/uploads/DSC01078.JPG

They sound quite amazing. They are getting a little old though, so i'm just trying to figure out what i should do. I recently came across an ad for the Fostex Folded Horn kit and thought it was pretty cool. I'm a little skeptical though going from these bulletproof Peerless' to a single driver speaker. My dad figured we could incorporate the Fostex T90A supertweeter into the Peerless' by just disconnecting the tweeter in the speakers and hooking up the supertweeter and setting it ontop. I thought that was an easy, and not very good, way out of this situation. What do you guys think? Are Peerless components high quality? Would they mix well with a Fostex horn tweeter? Is this a bad idea altogether?

The reason we went with Peerless to begin with was because my dad used to have a set of Koss speakers (i forget the model #) that used all Peerless components and they sounded outstanding.

Another issue i'm having is a need a new center channel. Right now nothing in my HT setup matches. I have paradigm rears, infinity center, peerless fronts and a diff. brand subwoofer. Do u guys have any suggestions for a somewhat matching center channel to go with the Peerless fronts?

thanks for any help! its very appreciated.
BTW...this forum rules.

[kifeinthesink]

What is it that you are hoping to improve about your current speaker.

If your just interested in upgrading your current sound then Id consider some of the new projects using the dayton rs drivers rather then trying to swap in the fostex. Look at http://htguide.com. There are some excellent projects there. Maybe the modula mt, modula mtm if you dont mind the cost, or the natalie p.

Also look at http://206.13.113.199/ncdiyaudio/mar...ng/testing.htm and check out his findings on these drivers. He also has a project using the rs 8 in . You could use one of those as a center channel and build two more to upgrade your mains and you'd have a great system.

Peerless is good, although i vaguely remember someone saying the tweeters are average. If you just want to change the tweeter you could look at the seas 27 series. They seem to be one of the best buys right now. I dont know how they would behave with your woofer. You'll need to provide more info if you want specifid help from anyone.

[PoorSound]

thanks alot for the reply. I wish i could give more information. I just know that 7 years ago i bought the best 8" woofer, best mid range, and best tweeter Peerless had at the time. Solen was telling me that the tweeter was rated as one of the best in the world. U figure the scan speak is a good option? is it a horn tweeter? i was interested in the Fostex T90A cuz i could just set it on top of the speaker and the sound is supposed to phenomenal.

[kifeinthesink]

Solen may have been right about the peerless tweeter. I dont know it and I was just generalizing.

the tweeter I mentioned was not scan speak but the Seas 27tdfc, and there are a few other 27 series tweeters in that line that are also very respected. But its kind of acedemic at the moment . Without more data on the other drivers and your current crossover you'd just be dropping another driver in blindly. The odds of getting a significant improvement are small. The way the drivers interact with one another is vital and without some idea of your woofers performance characteristics its impossible to figure out which driver will be suitable and how to integrate it properly into the rest of the design. If you have no information regarding your old drivers youd be much better off building another project that has already been designed. Otherwise your not going to get the perfromance your paying for out of the drivers.

You didn't say why your thinking of changing the tweeter though. If you have a specific goal in changing drivers it will be easier for people here to help you.

If your set in your mind that you want to keep the mid and woofer and only replace the tweeter then what you should do is

1. decide what you dont like about the current tweeter and what you would like to gain with a replacement.

2. Pull out the mid and woofer, look on the back to find the model numbers and then search for a data sheet.

3. post this info, with links to the data sheet or at least type out the theil small data, and post your current crossover info.

With this info people can help you.

If you cant get this info and really want to upgrade the sound, check out some of the projects i mentioned earlier, or search around for some others that look interesting to you.

[PoorSound]

Thank you very much for taking the time to help me. I don't really have a reason to change, i just figured that my speakers are getting fairly old and thought newer components could bring a small benefit. The reason i was thinking the tweeter only was because i was really just interested in the fostex T90A. If that is a no go, i really don't have a reason to upgrade (but u also say that Peerless only makes OK tweeters...) I can pull out the components and give you the model #'s, and possibly data sheets, but what do kind of information do you need about the crossover? All i know is it sits at the bottom of the speaker and is huge!

Also, the box i'm using is completely hollow inside. I've seen some boxes with lots of crazy stuff inside. I don't even have foam or anything...is this bad?

[PoorSound]

Ok so i disected my speakers tonight. I came up with: My tweeter is model #810665 which is no longer on the solen website so i can only assume it is discontinued. The Mid is part of the "classic" line model #821694 which i cannot find the data sheet for! And the woofer is part of the CSX line model #850136. (8") I hope this link to the data sheet works: http://www.madisound.com/pdf/peerless/850136.pdf

and for the crossover...all i could do was take a picture...i know kind of pathetic but that's all i could come up with. its attached.

So...what i'm looking to do is upgrade these to be monsters. If this isnt' possible without re-doing the crossover etc i will start from scratch. If i start from scratch, who do u suggest makes the best woofer, mid, and tweeter?

[kifeinthesink]

Forget what I said about the tweeter. I was just passing on a general remark I had heard somewhere in these forums. Peerless make outstanding drivers, some of the best in fact, and the tweeter you have may be very good.

Im getting the impression this was a kit speaker. It actually looks pretty cool. Especially since you aren't trying to improve some specific weakness, I would leave it alone and look at another project if your interested in playing around or learning or just trying something different.

I would look at projects with the Dayton RS drivers. They rival some of the best for a fraction of the price.

Check this one out http://htguide.com/forum/showthread.php4?t=13969

[kifeinthesink]

http://www.madisound.com/pdf/fostexdrivers/ft17h.pdf

look at the bottom of this pdf. there is a design for the foxtex fe207 and a less expensive fostex horn super tweeter. You could probably use the t90 in that design, possibly with some slight changes to the filter on the tweeter, but considering the cost of the 207e the cheaper super tweeter would probably make more sense.

Here's another speaker with a top mounted tweeter.

http://www.swanspeaker.com/kits/htm/tempus.asp

[PoorSound]

Thanks so much for your help. I love the way my system sounds right now...i was just itching for change. I figured the fronts would be a good thing to change since they are getting fairly old. The only thing right now that really bugs me is the fact NOTHING matches. I have peerless fronts, JBL EC 35 center, Paradigm mini monitors for the rear, and a 15" sub, but i forget the brand right now... and if i have the 7.1 setup (i did in my old place) i had Acoustic Research bookshelfs in the back. I do believe that AR uses lower grade Peerless components though. the reason i don't use them instead of the paradigms is because i did a comparison and the paradigms sounded 10x better, which is what started all these thoughts of replacing the fronts. I had it in my head that Paradigm was so much better than Peerless. I first started to look at paradigm floor standing then realized that not doing it yourself is a waste of money.

So you figure having a hollow box isn't bad?

[PoorSound]

Oops sorry forgot another question. The tweeters i have seem to be discontinued...what would be a good replacement if i did happen to blow these ones?